To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 5 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Scout begin spending more time with Miss Maudie Atkinson?

   • Correct answer: Jem and Dill increasingly exclude her from their plans
   • Scout is punished and must stay close to her own yard
   • Miss Maudie offers to teach Scout how to grow azaleas
   • Miss Maudie bakes cakes and invites Scout over every evening

   As Jem and Dill grow closer and form their own private games, Scout feels left out and gravitates toward Miss Maudie for companionship.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Miss Maudie remember about Arthur Radley as a young person?

   • He was a sullen boy who seldom spoke to anyone
   • Correct answer: He was a polite boy who always spoke nicely to her
   • He was a sickly boy who rarely left his mother
   • He was a bookish boy who kept a scrapbook

   Miss Maudie recalls Arthur as well-mannered and courteous, offering the first positive, firsthand account of Boo that the children have heard.

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3. 3

   Question 3. According to Miss Maudie, what kind of religious group did old Mr. Radley belong to?

   • Bible-reading Quakers
   • Old-time Methodists
   • Correct answer: Foot-washing Baptists
   • Hard-shell Presbyterians

   Miss Maudie explains that Mr. Radley was a foot-washing Baptist who took the Bible literally and believed most pleasures were sinful.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What do the foot-washing Baptists tell Miss Maudie about her flowers?

   • That gardening is acceptable only on weekdays
   • That they are the most beautiful in Maycomb
   • That she should donate them to the church
   • Correct answer: That she and her flowers will burn in hell

   The foot-washers believe anything that's pleasure is a sin, and they told Miss Maudie she spent too much time in God's outdoors and not enough time inside reading the Bible.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How do Jem and Dill attempt to deliver a note to Boo Radley?

   • They tuck it into the knot-hole of the oak by the Radley lot
   • They tie it to the dinner-bell and toss it onto the porch
   • They slip it under the front door while the house is asleep
   • Correct answer: They attach it to a fishing pole and thread it through a shutter

   The boys use a fishing pole to try to push the note through a loose shutter on the Radley house, an awkward method that symbolizes their misguided approach.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does the note to Boo Radley offer him as an incentive to come outside?

   • An invitation to a birthday party
   • A piece of Miss Maudie’s cake
   • Correct answer: An ice cream
   • A new book to read

   The children’s note promises Boo they will not hurt him and offers to buy him an ice cream, reflecting their innocent but misguided approach.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Atticus tell the children when he catches them trying to contact Boo?

   • Correct answer: That they must stop tormenting Boo and respect his privacy
   • That he will arrange a proper meeting with Arthur
   • That Boo is dangerous and they should stay away for safety
   • That they should try again more quietly next time

   Atticus firmly tells them to stop tormenting Boo, stating that what Arthur Radley does in his own house is his own business.

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Miss Maudie’s character contrast with Miss Stephanie Crawford’s?

   • Miss Maudie keeps to herself indoors while Miss Stephanie visits all over town
   • Correct answer: Miss Maudie speaks from firsthand knowledge while Miss Stephanie spreads rumors
   • Miss Maudie reads the Bible devoutly while Miss Stephanie never goes to church
   • Miss Maudie scolds the children often while Miss Stephanie bakes them cakes

   Miss Maudie sticks to what she personally remembers of Arthur and dismisses the gossip about him, while Miss Stephanie embellishes and gossips freely about the Radleys.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • In Chapter 5, Boo Radley reads the note from the children and sends a reply.

     Didn't happen

     Atticus intercepts the children before the note ever reaches Boo. The note is never delivered, and Boo never reads or responds to it.

   • Miss Maudie tells Scout that she knew Arthur Radley as a boy and that he always spoke nicely to her.

     Happened

     Miss Maudie shares this firsthand memory with Scout, offering the first sympathetic portrait of Boo that the children have heard.

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10. 10

    Question 10. In the context of this chapter, what does "tacit" mean?

    • Written down in a formal, signed agreement
    • Temporary and likely to be broken soon
    • Spoken aloud and openly declared by all
    • Correct answer: Understood without being directly stated

    "Tacit" means implied or understood without being spoken aloud. It describes the children's unspoken agreement with Miss Maudie: they could play on her lawn and eat her scuppernongs if they kept off the arbor.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "benign" most closely mean as used to describe Miss Maudie?

    • Harmful, hostile, and threatening
    • Correct answer: Gentle, kindly, and not threatening
    • Timid, nervous, and easily frightened
    • Ordinary, dull, and easily forgotten

    "Benign" describes someone or something that is harmless, gentle, and kind—fitting for Miss Maudie’s warm and welcoming nature.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "asinine" mean?

    • Correct answer: Extremely stupid or foolish
    • Cruel and deliberately hurtful
    • Stubborn and hard to discourage
    • Clever and carefully planned

    "Asinine" means utterly foolish or senseless, used to characterize the absurdity of certain schemes the children devise.

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